Many portable computing devices utilize internal connectors that carry signals to route communications between internal components of the portable computing devices. As portable computing devices continue to take advantage of new input/output (I/O) protocols that allow for increasingly rapid I/O communications, high-speed signals traveling between I/O interfaces and other internal components become more susceptible to signal degradation when compared to lower speed I/O interfaces. For example, USB 2.0 signals can be less susceptible to signal degradation than signals utilizing USB 3.0 protocols. One situation where signal degradation becomes an issue occurs when a first component requires connection to a second component offset a substantial distance from the first component. The signal degradation can be mitigated by boosting components that can be integrated within the first component or the second component in order to ameliorate the signal degradation. Unfortunately, packaging or other engineering constraints can prevent the integration of boosting components within the first or the second component.